My Jewish friends, while assuring me that they very much enjoy the Christmas season, do observe that never do they feel more “other” than during these days. It dawns on them, they continue, that a big chunk of the world is celebrating a feast, and they’re not.

In a way, we Christians also feel somewhat “other” these holy days of Advent. We take Advent seriously, which means we are in a time of preparation for Christmas, a grand feast we really do not begin to celebrate until Christmas Eve.